Apr 30, 2014

White Soda Bread - Soda Bread con Erbette

The recipe I’ve chosen this month for our group "Back to the Future, Buddies" is easy,
quick, "no-messy kitchen" and absolutely delicious (that's what we need after so much Easter baking):

Irish Soda bread with fresh herbs.

If the term "Soda Bread" is new to you, let me shortly explain what it is (many thanks to Wikipedia):

quote:"Soda bread (Irish: arán sóide, Scots: fardel, Serbian: česnica/чесница) is a variety of quick
bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate
(otherwise known as baking soda) is used as a leavening agent instead of the
more common yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, bread
soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid,
which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other
ingredients can be added such as butter, egg, raisins or nuts", unquote (please click here if you'd like to read more about Soda Bread).Happy Baking to all of you La ricetta che ho
scelto questo mese per il nostro gruppo "Back to the Future, Buddies "
ha tutte le qualità che fanno per noi, per riprenderci dalla “maratona
Pasquale”: è facile e veloce da
preparare, la cucina "non sarà un
disastro" ed è assolutamente deliziosa:

Pour most of the buttermilk into the flour (add the rest only if the dough is too dry).

Using one hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more buttermilk if necessary (I didn't use my hand but a Danish dough whisk - see picture below).

The dough should be softish, not too wet and
sticky.

The trick with all soda breads is not to over-mix the dough.
Mix the dough as quickly and as gently as possible, keeping it really light and
airy. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work
surface. Wash and dry your hands.

Gently roll the ball of dough around with floury hands for a
few seconds, just enough to tidy up. Then pat it gently into a round, about 5
cm (2 inch) high.

Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet (I lined
the baking sheet with parchment paper).

With a sharp knife cut a deep cross in the middle of it,
letting the cuts go over the sides of the bread (according to Irish folklore this will let the fairies out!)

Bake at 450°F/230°C for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 400°F/200°C and bake for a further 25 minutes. The bread is baked when it sounds hollow when tapped (I checked the loaf internal temperature: after 30 minutes it reached 200°F/93°C and it was perfect).